Reflections on the Citizens’ Jury for the War on Diabetes

19 Oct 2018

As part of the nationwide effort to rally various stakeholders to help Singaporeans live a life free of diabetes and help those who have the condition manage it well, the Ministry of Health (MOH), together with the Institute of Policy Studies, conducted the first Citizens’ Jury (CJ) in Singapore. A total of 76 participants were tasked with the challenge of coming up with community-based and community-driven recommendations to combat the problem of diabetes. They include people with diabetes, caregivers, healthcare providers, and members of the public who did not have any experience with diabetes. The participants came together and engaged in collective discussion and deliberation over four sessions.

This report by IPS reflects on the implementation and impact of the CJ, specifically the extent to which it fulfils five key principles of deliberation — inclusivity and diversity, fairness and equality, knowledge gain, efficacy, and applicability.